Endure: Mudstar's Leaving
by Tina-chan V
Summary: Mudstar's last life has come to an end. Fortunately, he's left his Clan in capable paws.


This was his last life.

Mudstar took a deep breath, feeling his body shake from exertion. The air left him in a huff. It felt better to exhale quickly, due to the pain it brought him.

Faintly, he could hear his clanmates around him, but couldn't make out what they were saying. The amount of effort it took to open his eyes was surprising, but he managed it. Though his eyes only opened by a sliver, he could make out several cats.

Darkdawn, his littermate, was the closest. He could feel her tongue rasping over his shoulder. Had he the strength, he would joke that she was treating him like a kit. She probably wouldn't appreciate his humor, though. From the time they were born, Darkdawn had always been a serious cat.

To the side, he saw his deputy watching him worriedly. Willowtail had only been in her position for two seasons; nothing when compared to how long Harefur had been at his side. It was clear that she didn't feel ready to be leader, and Mudstar wanted to say that Harefur had suggested her himself.

The smell of herbs brought his attention to Bristlepelt. The medicine cat was speaking, but Mudstar found that he could only make out a few words. Something about him being "old". He would have liked to tell the tom that he wasn't much younger than him. Vaguely, he wondered where Bristlepelt's apprentice was.

" _Mudstar, can you hear me?"_

Mudstar moved his head slightly, only capable of small movements. He was filled with warmth at the sight of his mate. Specklenose died several seasons ago, and had walked in his dreams ever since.

She looked as beautiful as she always had. Her pelt was as white as snow, with the only disruptions being small patches of ginger and black. Amber eyes regarded him lovingly. It was then that Mudstar noticed that she had both eyes. One of them had been clawed out during the battle that killed her.

He purred, and tried to speak, but his voice came out as little more than a breathy rasp. Vaguely, he recognized the sound of Darkdawn telling him to stop straining himself.

Specklenose padded closer, "It's time to go, my love. StarClan's waiting for you."

At that, Mudstar felt a sudden pull to his clanmates. He knew very well that what his mate was saying was true, and he'd already come to terms with the fact that he was dying, but those words made it feel too real.

It was greenleaf, so he wouldn't have to worry about his Clan getting enough food. But ShadowClan had been getting bolder lately, coming onto ThunderClan land more and more often. Flamenose just had her first litter of kits, and they'd go without nursery stories from him. He'd never gotten around to giving Brackenpaw and Swallowpaw their warrior names. Thrushfoot had been talking about retiring.

"You've lead ThunderClan for many moons, Mudstar," Specklenose mewed. She seemed to catch on to his thoughts, "Now, you have to trust them to continue thriving without you. Just as Beechstar, and many past leaders have done."

Mudstar sighed. The tortoiseshell was right, of course. She had a habit of being reasonable, and it was one of the many reasons for why he loved her. He could feel his breathing slowing. Darkdawn had stopped grooming him, now simply pressing against him comfortingly. For a moment, he felt like a kit again, sleeping beside his sister at their mother, Rosecloud's, belly.

He drank in the scent of his den for the last time; the scent of the cats he knew so well around him. A final breath left him, and Mudstar stood up. But his body didn't come with him.

"It's a strange feeling, isn't it?" Specklenose meowed. They pressed their noses together, something Mudstar had been wanting to do again for a long time.

"I've done this nine times, remember?" Mudstar replied warmly. He felt younger and stronger than he had in moons. A cry caught his attention, and he looked to see Darkdawn jumping to her paws, nudging him desperately.

Mudstar's heart ached at the sight of his sister's grief, which quickly caught on to his other clanmates. But Specklenose was calm, brushing her side against his. She mewed, "The sorrow will fade. And soon, it will be replaced with countless fond memories. ThunderClan will remember you for seasons to come."

"I'll miss them," Mudstar admitted. Bristlepelt sniffed at his body before lowering his head.

"And they'll miss you," Specklenose meowed in understanding. She then nudged him, "But there are other cats who've waited long enough for you."

"Rosecloud? Harefur?" Mudstar asked, the thought of seeing the long-dead cats making up for the loss he felt, "Our kits?"

"Snakekit and Birchpaw will probably tackle you," Specklenose mewed warmly, fond of their sons.

Mudstar purred at the thought. It'd been far too long since he'd seen any of them. He wondered if Birchpaw still had the tear in his ear from when he'd beaten Specklenose's killer. If only he'd beaten that adder as well. Snakekit was probably well-fed from his time in StarClan, no longer suffering from leaf-bare's lack of prey.

Specklenose swiped her tail over his ears, "Come on."

She started walking, disappearing through the stone wall of the den. Mudstar moved to follow, but glanced back at his clanmates. Bristlepelt had disappeared, likely fetching lavender for the scent of death. Darkdawn was quiet, softly licking at his ears.

Willowtail looked overwhelmed with grief, her blue eyes darkened with sadness. Then Dapplefern, her sister and Bristlepelt's apprentice, stepped in and began speaking to her.

Mudstar turned away before he was tempted to stay. Stepping out of his den, he saw that dusk had fallen. Willowtail would have to leave soon to receive her eight extra lives. His Clan would be in good paws. When he turned his head, he was suddenly surrounded by a lush forest. Thick grass was at his paws, and he could see stars beyond the trees.

"Mudstar!"

He looked down at the tabby kit that had run to him, and his heart swelled as he realized it was Snakekit. But his tiny son wasn't the only one to come to him. Mudstar's pelt tingled with joy as he saw all the kin and friends that he'd lost over the course of his life. Rosecloud, Harefur, Birchpaw, Hawkfoot, Whiteflower, Quietstep…all of them.

As Specklenose gave a loving lick to his cheek, and Harefur said they had to go hunting, Mudstar had one thought in his mind.

 _I'm home._

 **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **A/N: Hello, everyone! I am pleased to introduce you to** _ **"Endure"**_ **!**

 **This story is one that I've been thinking of for a while, and I'm finally putting it into action. What you've just read isn't necessarily the prologue, but more like a short prequel to the main story.**

 **Now, you may have noticed the "OCs Needed" part. Well, I do in fact need a lot of OCs! You can find the form on my profile, and I'd like for your characters to be submitted via PM. However, anonymous users can do it via review (do not use reviews if you just don't want to log in). Above all, I want OCs to be messaged to me.**

 **The allegiances will be updated on my profile regularly, though I will use this story to notify you guys of updates, as well as add more snippets to the story if I see fit. If all else fails, I will begin a forum for the sole purpose of gathering OCs.**

 **Later, my lovelies~!**

 **\- Tina**


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